Sushant case: ED questions Goa hotelier; NCB continues probe
August 31, 2020 15:23
The Enforcement Directorate on Monday questioned a Goa-based hotelier, Gaurav Arya,in connection with a money laundering probe linked to the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, officials said. Arya arrived at the central probe agency's office in Mumbai's in Ballard Estate area around 10:30 am accompanied by his legal team.
The ED had summoned Arya last week to join the probe after it recovered some mobile phone messages reportedly sent by actor and Rajput's live-in partner Rhea Chakraborty to him in 2017 and they purportedly indicated discussion of certain banned narcotics, officials had said.
The agency will record his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said. Arya, who runs two hotels in Goa, had earlier told news channels that he has never dealt in narcotics and his last interaction with Rhea was about three years ago, adding he will "comply" with all legal procedures.
He had also said that he never met Rajput, 34, who was allegedly found hanging at his duplex flat in the Bandra area of Mumbai on June 14. The agency is looking at the money laundering angle in this case and hence all conversations and entities that are linked to the matter are required to be questioned to establish facts and to find out if any criminality is involved, a senior ED official had said.
The ED has also recently intimated the Narcotics Control Bureau about these purported drugs-linked chats which it recovered after 'cloning' two mobile phones of Rhea. It has already recorded Rhea's version, under the PMLA, about these chats that purportedly indicate procurement of banned drugs. Rhea, 28, the main accused in the case, her father Indrajit Chakraborty, brother Showik and multiple staff members of her and Rajput have been grilled by the ED till now.
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